


Space is for the birds

by hopelessly_me



Series: HPC 2020 [3]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Bucky teases Steve, Clint and Tony working on a spaceship, Clint misses his boys, Clint teases Steve, Clint travels to space, M/M, Polyamory, Steve and Bucky miss Clint, Tony is in space, clint buys space gifts, surprise visit, tony teases steve, worried steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22590637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Clint gets elected by Tony to travel to space with him to repair a spaceship, and all Clint wants to do is get back home to Bucky and Steve.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers
Series: HPC 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619281
Comments: 18
Kudos: 94
Collections: MHEA Harlequin Hoopla Prompt Challenge 2020





	Space is for the birds

Clint pulled a face as he looked at all the wires and parts, each color coded and with small tags on them dangling down into his face. His hands hovered near one. “Can you repeat that please?” he requested.

“You need to disconnect the anti-”

“Color and part number, Tones,” Clint groaned. “Anti-whatcha-ma-call-it makes no damn sense to me.”

“Red B-22,” Tony sighed.

“Red B-22,” Clint whispered, moving on a rolling board. “There it is. Disconnecting,” he said. “Next?”

“Same wire, you need to connect into plug Red B-1-Alpha,” Tony said, providing Clint with the next step. “It should be around seven spaces to your left.”

Clint scanned the base before he found it. “Alright, connecting,” he said. “It gave me a green light.”

“I can see that from me end,” Tony replied and Clint could hear his footsteps. “Okay. It’s been about three hours, Legolas. Need a break?”

“And try to crawl back under here? Pass. Let’s just get this part done,” Clint answered. “Tomorrow isn’t a claustrophobic hell day, right?” he asked.

“Tomorrow is a spacewalk day,” Tony agreed.

“Oh, fabulous, just what I hate,” Clint groaned.

Clint still wasn’t sure why he was the one who had to come to space with Tony. He wasn’t even sure why they were there period. He was an Avenger,  _ Earth’s _ mightiest hero, not a spaceship repairman. Let alone repairing a ship for some non-terrestrial species that couldn’t even speak the same language without the translator tags Carol gave them. In a way, it made Clint’s skin crawl not understanding what they were saying, and he was going to blame that on his not so friendly run-ins with aliens before now.

All Clint knew was, Carol needed a favor, Tony  _ owed _ Carol a favor, and he pulled Clint along for the ride. “It’s be great, you’ll love it” Tony had told him and Clint  _ knew _ he wasn’t going to love it. Every kid dreams of being an astronaut, sure- floating in zero gravity, being out of the Earth’s atmosphere usually sparked a great sense of wonder in most everyone’s hearts. To Clint, it was just more unknown problems that could go wrong, and probably would just to test his patience. Being stuck under some structure Tony had rambled about, only a few inches between himself and the heavy metal above? Yeah, that could go wrong.

“Alright… ready,” Clint sighed as he got back to work.

They had already been on this spacestation for nine days, working to repair whatever was going on. Bruce would have come along, he even wanted to, but he wasn’t sure it would be a good idea in case anything went wrong and the big guy decided he could handle it. So instead, Tony and Bruce every night talked for two hours about the fixes, along with other things, and Clint sat around bored out of his mind. But at least they had coffee, and a lot of it. Half the time, that was the only thing keeping Clint going.

“ _ Sir, there is a call from Captain Rogers for Agent Barton,” _ Tony’s AI system alerted them.

“Tell good ol’ Cap that Clint is currently in a very procurious position and is stuck,” Tony answered.

“FRIDAY, do  _ not _ tell Steve that,” Clint groaned. “Come on, Tony. You know Steve is already freaking out about this. Why make it worse for the guy?”

“Just keeping your romance alive for you, bird brain,” Tony replied. “Two more weeks away, a lot of pent up super soldier anxiety and feelings…. You’re welcome.”

“Steve has Bucky,” Clint replied as he moved to find the wire he was looking for.

“Oh, excuse me,” Tony said. “You’ll have  _ two _ antsy super soldiers waiting to-”

“Please… please don’t,” Clint requested. “I really don’t want to know where your mind was going with that. And it’s not like that.”

“Not like what?”

_ Fuck, ran straight into that one.  _ Clint still wasn’t exactly sure what they were, he was still trying to figure that piece out himself. Steve and Bucky had been together practically forever, but definitely since Bucky was found alive and they retrieved him from HYDRA control. They just naturally fit and it was pretty much the most heartwarming thing Clint had seen in ages. And even if their fresh start was a little rocky, they had made it work, molding it to what they now needed. And they were  _ inseparable _ .

Clint had hit it off right away with Bucky, not that it surprised anyone. Clint had a thing for people with tragic pasts it seemed, and Clint clearly had a preference when it came to making friends with someone- they needed to be deadly. His best friend Natasha? Deadly. He married Bobbi? Deadly. So it only seemed natural that when the Winter Soldier came shuffling into the Tower, looking like he was in awe over all the technology while looking like a kicked puppy, Clint naturally gravitated towards him.

Unlike Bucky, Clint had a different relationship with Steve. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the guy, because he did, but they tended to butt heads. Steve was inspiring, smooth around the edges, and was calming. He was careful when making plans and carrying them out, a natural born leader. Clint? He was chaotic energy, jagged and shattered, living life a little too much on the edge for a man that had nothing super about him other than training and a high level of skill. But there were softer moments, when they weren’t working together, that made their relationship work. Especially after Clint found Steve’s sketchbook.

Clint never thought it would be Steve to approach him shyly with a proposal. Clint had just gotten back from a two month long stint with the West Coast Avengers, helping the team while Kate was out with a broken foot. All he had asked Natasha for was his fridge to have some pizza, in any form, it in, and a pot of fresh coffee waiting. Instead he got an anxious Steve, a pot of coffee that tasted like dung, and a burnt pizza. He could still see the flushed look to him as he muttered an apology when Clint took a sip and nearly sprayed Steve in the face, declaring it tasted like it had been revived from the 1940s, it was so stale.

_ “I want you to consider something without getting mad,” Steve had requested. Clint looked over from the kitchen counter, a new pot being made. “And I want you to know that it’s okay to say no.” _

_ “Thanks Steve for the great talk. Sadly, Natasha beat you to giving me the no means no speech about twelve years ago,” Clint had replied with a smirk. _

_ Steve had shuffled closer before he retreated a step. “It’s not conventional,” he warned. And that was surprising. Clint didn’t move when Steve finally did step closer, crowding his space a little. “Bucky and I were wondering if maybe you have ever thought about a… polyamorous relationship.” _

_ “A what?” Clint asked evenly. _

_ “Polyamorous,” Steve repeated. When Clint just stared, Steve’s face turned a bit red. “Polyamory? A relationship that is shared between more than just two people.” When Clint still didn’t move, Steve started to tense up. “I told Bucky that he would be-” _

_ “I know what the terms mean- I just don’t- why?” Clint asked, turning enough to get himself a mug of coffee. _

_ “What do you mean, why?” Steve asked. _

_ “Uh- I’m a disaster?” Clint pointed out. “And let’s see-” _

_ “Clint.” Clint stopped and rose an eyebrow. Steve grabbed the mug and set it off to the side before his hands found their way to Clint’s waist. “If you are even slightly interested then maybe we should take this up with Bucky as well?” he suggested. “Because we have talked about this for awhile now and-” Steve sighed and looked down before he looked back up. “You were gone for two months and I guess that confirmed to us what you mean to us. And- can Bucky come up and we can we talk about this?” _

Clint moved another wire that Tony instructed him to before he could loosen the bolts above him carefully. Their relationship was still new as far as Clint was concerned. Six months wasn’t a long time, especially when half the time at least one of them wasn’t home for some reason or another. Steve seemed the most stable- after he revamped S.H.I.E.L.D., he was mostly grounded in place, giving orders. Clint found himself gone the most, which Steve apologized for profusely every time despite Clint telling him each time that he understood he had a wide skill set that meant he was a better fit for most missions.

“ _ Sir, Agent Barton is now getting a call from Sergeant Barnes _ ,” FRIDAY alerted them.

“Alright, let them know that I am most definitely not  _ stuck _ , and that I will call them back in about… I dunno, twenty,” Clint said before Tony could reply. “See what you did?”

“Just picking up where you left off,” Tony said. “Got the panel open yet?”

“Yeah- what am I doing?” Clint sighed.

It was closer to two hours before Clint had managed to close the panel, replacing all the sensors. He was exhausted and his hands had started aching the moment he was free for the day. He entered the decontamination stage for the blow down before he walked through the doors to a private section of space station that was closed off from the two Avengers private use. He grabbed a new shirt and a pair of sweats as he walked through his room.

“FRIDAY, call one of them back for me, will you?” Clint asked.

“ _ Of course, Agent Barton _ .”

Clint signed thank you out of habit, taking a large gulp from his water bottle before he sat down in front of the computer. Steve faced popped up and Clint nearly jumped. “Please tell me Tony was kidding.” Clint smiled at the image, the worried expression on Steve’s face and felt some sort of relief.

“You really gotta learn that Tony is in a constant state of fucking with you,” Clint said, reaching over for a bottle and shaking out two pills. “Bucky there too?”

“Yes but he is being a monitor hog,” Bucky said in the background.

“Mhh, typical,” Clint replied, grabbing his water. “Steve, seriously, everything is fine. Move back to let Bucky in on this. It’s weird otherwise.” He knocked back the two pills and some water before he dug around in a box.

“What are you doing?” Bucky asked.

“Taking some Tylenol and trying to find a protein bar, I’m starving,” Clint laughed. “Giving up on coffee for the night so I can sleep.”

“How are you doing up there?” Bucky asked, leaning a little closer to the screen.

“Well, I haven’t killed Tony yet for  _ trying _ to teach me things, so I am considering it a win,” Clint answered. “Aside from that. It’s either completely dark or completely light, so getting my circadian rhythm used to this has been fun.”

“Any clue as to why Tony asked you specifically for this?” Steve asked.

“Because I am bendy and can fit into tight spots without hyperventilating,” Clint answered, fiddling with his hearing aids. “And I have experience with systems like this because of the quinjet. It’s honestly not terrible. I mostly work on the things while Tony gives directions, then hide out in my room. Sometimes I eat a few of my meals at the main station area, but using the translators Carol gave us with my hearing aids is kind of a challenge so I only go when Tony goes. Which means! When I get back, Bucky, you are cooking me all the amazing foods.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Bucky chuckled.

“How much longer are you going to be there?” Steve asked. Clint could hear the nerves there, could see it in his eyes, but he knew better than to comment on it.

“About two weeks? Maybe more. Just depends on how quickly we can get this done,” Clint answered. “Okay, enough about me- what am I missing out on?”

“Steve successfully has made ramen by himself,” Bucky boasted.

“Woooo! Go babe!” Clint laughed. “You boiled noodles in water without burning the Tower down.”

“ _ And _ he made oatmeal without it sticking to the bottom of the pot.”

“You both are assholes, you know that?” Steve said, his face a delightful shade of red.

“Language,” Bucky and Clint both replied before they laughed.

“Kate took Lucky with her, said she’ll bring him back in a month,” Bucky said as an update. “Pretty sure her and America are dating now, but she won’t admit to anything. And while Gwen firmly says no, pretty sure she and the weird guy are a thing.”

“That’s adorable and disturbing at the same time,” Clint chuckled. “Natasha?”

“Not admitting how much she misses you,” Bucky said. “Hell, we are doing the same.” It was good to hear, making Clint melt a little around the edges; he was pretty sure he would never get used to hearing, not that he wanted to.

Clint smiled and leaned down, his arms folding on the table and he laid his head down. “I miss you guys too. Steve? I think I am going to need a vacation. Preferably with everyone maybe home for a change?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Steve promised. “You alright?”

“Just tired and old,” Clint assured him. “Tomorrow we have a space walk, or I guess I do. We still aren’t sure Tony can do it with the arc reactor, and I don’t want to take that risk.”

Steve frowned and leaned back. “You did training for that, right?”

The real answer was no- not much. Clint had maybe a day’s worth of practice in a zero gravity room. But he was told that he wouldn’t be alone, which somehow put him on edge more than doing it solo. “Yeah, I’m good,” Clint lied easily. If Steve caught the lie, he hadn’t reacted. But the way Bucky narrowed his eyes, Clint knew he had picked up on it.  _ Damn assassin and spy _ . “Oh hey! I did get you guys something.” He rummaged around him before he grabbed a bag.

“Shouldn’t it be a surprise, sunshine?” Bucky asked.

“Nope, I suck at surprises, get too excited,” Clint replied before he held up two shirts. “Ta-da! They are literally the softest things I’ve ever felt. I got a few for all of us, and Natasha. And maybe Kate-“

“So everyone,” Steve mused.

“They were  _ soft _ ,” Clint whined defensively, pulling the shirts closer to his chest to cradle them. “Carol was here two days ago and I had some time on my hands while Tony was doing some math with Bruce. So she exchanged currency for me, and I kinda spent my paycheck but I don’t even care.”

“Because they are soft,” Bucky laughed.

“Just wait, Barnes. You are going to be in heaven,” Clint said. He looked at both of the men and felt his chest tighten a little.  _ God, I miss them. _ “Anyway, I should probably go. I still need to shower and eat my weight in food.”

“Wish we could be there for you,” Steve admitted softly.

“Hey, I know,” Clint promised, reaching a hand out and touching the screen. “But you guys burn too many calories. It would have been dangerous for the long term. But hey! Two weeks, maybe three, and I will be back!”

“We’ll get all your favorites around,” Bucky said, putting a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “And I’ll keep this one from trying to call every day.”

Clint felt his chest constrict a little more at that. He would have preferred to hear from them every single day, but he could understand how that may come across as needy on Steve’s end. As far as Clint’s- he wasn’t exactly good at letting others know what he needed or wanted. And if they were happy with the every other day rule, Clint could live with it. 

“Alright. Well, I guess i”ll hear from you in two days,” Clint said. He turned and looked out the window. “And… good morning. Love you.”

“Love you,” Bucky said before the screen went dead.

Clint was pretty sure he was going stir crazy. His days for a total of twenty-seven days consisted of working for ten hours, eating as much food as he could to keep up his stamina, and trying to sleep in the void that was space. To be honest- Clint now knew he wasn’t a fan of this whole going to space thing. Space was just like under the ocean, dark and a void, but instead of fish, there was space debris that floated by. At first, seeing Earth from this angle had been enchanting, but now he wanted to go home, finding himself homesick for the first time in a very long time.

Even with the every other day calls, Clint found himself missing Bucky and Steve more than he cared to admit. He never felt this attached to anyone, and that was driving him crazy as well. They were smiling, laughing and hugging, shoving each other. That lingering kisses on the cheeks, the wrinkled up noses or little signs of pure bliss was becoming something he was craving more everyday. While they shared their warmth, all Clint had was Tony’s voice and a blanket. He was becoming touched starved so fast just by watching his two boyfriends interacting that he was almost afraid of doing something stupid.

After his third spacewalk, Clint found out how much he didn’t prefer them, but what he  _ did  _ enjoy was the person he went on them with. He had to wear his translator, which was uncomfortable, but Yveger was actually a good time. He was funny, helped keep Clint stable when working on more complex tasks, and offered to show Clint around more. He didn't spend all his time locked away the past several days. Instead Clint wore a mask and gloves and learned more about the species he was spending time with, learn how the chances they were implementing was going to impact the people, the environment. He met new people, shared new experiences, and could finally settle.

The moment Tony declared their work done, Clint was pretty sure he had never been happier in his life. No more spacewalks, no more hours on end hearing Tony drone out the instructions for Clint to follow through, and no more God awful protein bars. He would miss his new friends, but he was gaining so much more. Soon enough he would be home, safely tucked away in the Tower, eating real food and sleeping in a bed that could properly fit his frame. He was looking forward to wedging himself between Steve and Bucky, soaking in their light touches, their warmth, and just letting the days drift for a little.

All that happiness got swept under him the moment he packed his bags into the space taxi and Tony had opened his stupid mouth. “We have to make a stop at another space station.”

“No. No, Tony, fuck that,” Clint groaned.

“We have to make the stop anyway for fuel for this bad boy,” Tony said, waving his hand about the space taxi. “And it’s two days. And I literally mean two days. Then we are back on Earth.”

“Tony,” Clint whined before he rubbed his face. “I’m exhausted. My hands are killing me. And I’m starting to get stiff from having to sleep all curled up because the beds aren’t fuckin’ long enough.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Tony said. “But I don’t really have control over this. But hey! This one is targeted to humans and humanoids, so maybe the beds will be a little better.” 

Clint had serious doubts about that but he sighed and secured their supplies. No amount of complaining was going to change the situation, so he needed to just get the job done. Once he was positive everything was secure he sat down and strapped in before he closed his eyes. He felt Tony shuffle in next to him, and Clint was positive he was being extra noisy about it just to get Clint to look at him.

“Tony, I swear to Thor’s father, if you don’t settle your ass down and strap in, I am going to see if that reactor works in space,” he said as lightly as he could.

“Someone is grumpy. After you excitedly joined me on this adventure and everything,” Tony said.

Clint looked over. “You literally threw my bag at me and said that we were going to space and left. I didn’t even have time to ask if you were being serious.”

Tony grinned and held his hands out. “You’re welcome.”

“Uh huh.”

The taxi ride to the next station was thankfully uneventful, and Clint nodded off for what seemed like a five minute nap, which was in actuality two hours. Tony held out a caffeine pill as soon as Clint’s eyes opened and he took it gratefully, murmuring as much. He stretched to the best of his ability, trying to get the stiffness out of his bones.

“Looks like we are here,” Tony said.

“I am doing yoga and you are  _ not _ watching,” Clint commented as he got up. “Work can wait. I feel like a ninety year old.” He reached up and started pulling down their supplies. He handed two bags to Tony before he grabbed his two.

“Whatever you say, Legolas,” Tony said, waiting behind Clint. 

As soon as the green light flashed, the doors opened and Clint took a few long strides out of the cramped taxi before he stopped. Bucky was standing almost front and center, his hands in his pockets with a small smile on his face. Steve was all grins, holding a sign that only said “surprise”. Clint stared for a minute too long before he walked over, dropping his bags and pulling them both into a hug.

“What the hell?” Clint asked happily.

“Bruce cleared us for two days,” Steve answered, kissing Clint’s cheek. “So we figured we’d surprise you.”

“But Tony said-”

“We asked him to keep a secret,” Bucky said quickly, taking the bags from Clint. “So… welcome to Intra-space, a luxury space station,” he said. “They have spas and activities, and all the food you could want that’s  _ seasoned _ .”

“And coffee,” Steve added.

“And beds long enough for giant bodies,” Tony said in passing.

Steve watched Tony then looked back. “What?”

“Long story. No time. I have plans.”

“How can you have plans when you just got here?” Bucky asked, amused.

“It starts with the love of my life… coffee,” Clint said, kissing Bucky’s cheek before he turned and kissed Steve’s. “From there, I am hitting a gym for some yoga because I want to. And past that- I don’t know about you two but I’m going to find my way to the bedroom.”

“But they have space walks and-” Steve began to say.

“Stevie… Clint wants to do  _ yoga _ and then wants to go to the bedroom,” Bucky said slowly. “I don’t know about you, but after he’s been gone for nearly a month… pretty sure I’m picking the bedroom option.”

Clint sucked his bottom lip in the moment Steve pieced it all together, his face flushing. “Oh… my God, you are precious,” Clint taunted playfully. He grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled. “Come on- coffee.”

“Anything you want,” Steve replied, tightening his grip.

**Author's Note:**

> I only wrote this prompt about three times before I absolutely liked this version. And I might have purposely stopped at 3939 words because it appeased me. And it's my first attempt at these three lovelies together. And I am using and a lot (excuse me- I just caffeinated myself).
> 
> <3 Enjoy.


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